The positive consequences are that we will likely live longer and healthier lives, that we will likely be able to treat the previously untreatable aliments and that we will likely be able to prevent several illnesses.

Underpinning this optimistic scenario is the successful mapping of the human genome in 2001, which allows scientists to better understand how diseases attack our bodies. The genetic codes, essentially the sequence of pairing of the nucleotides Adenine, Thymine, Cytosine and Guanine, govern how diseases operate and how our bodies fight these diseases. For instance, they determine why some people are susceptible to some ailments and not others, or why some people respond to certain types of treatment and not others.

With this new scientific knowledge will come new ways to treat illnesses such as cancer and heart disease more effectively, since medicine will be personalised to suit the needs of each individual. Moreover, some ailments could be prevented before they even attacked the body because there could be ways to identify likely culprits based on a genetic examination of the individual.

Even more optimistic is the view that scientists will soon be able to manage the ageing process and psychological disorders more effectively due to new discoveries in the area of life sciences.

In other words, rapid developments in life sciences will take the world through one of its biggest changes ever since the advent of personal computers and the digital revolution.

Besides the potentially huge benefits for mankind, advancement in life sciences will affect the wealth of nations around the world. Thongchai says Thailand should embrace the emerging opportunities early as part of national development. One way to go forward is to harness the knowledge base of several thousands of Thai scientists and researchers, many of who have been educated and trained abroad on state scholarships over the past decades.

As evidenced by the success of several developed nations, breakthroughs in this and other scientific fields are the products of partnership between academics, the private sector and the government. This being the case, the Thai government should consider building basic infrastructure to facilitate the emergence of life-science businesses quickly so that the country is not left behind as a poor "follower" nation.

Professor Pornchai Matangkasombat, chairman of Tcels and president of the prestigious Mahidol University, suggests that significant state funding for basic research in this field is a prerequisite, after which the private sector can step in to explore viable business opportunities for the research results.

A form of venture capitalism will be needed to finance these early business opportunities, which should also receive further government support and financial incentives to increase their viability.

In addition, Thailand stands a good chance of becoming a regional centre for life-science research outsourced by more advanced nations, given its relatively large but under-utilised pool of scientific brainpower. For the more advanced developers of life sciences, especially the US and Western European nations, outsourcing of selected work will become the trend because of economic and costing factors.

This means Thailand has a chance to become part of the global research network due to its cost advantage and scientific competency. For example, some Western pharmaceutical and related companies have been looking for places to outsource part of their clinical research into new medicines.

According to Thongchai, success in life sciences depends on several key factors. The first is brainpower, or a pool of many talented people, usually from different countries.

The second is financial resources, both for basic research and for turning novel ideas in laboratories into products and services for daily life.

The third is collaboration, or the ability of academic institutions, the private sector and the government to work together and share knowledge from research at different facilities.

The fourth is a guarantee of financial reward for successful ideas. This means the law will have to protect innovative ideas and methods as intellectual property.

Last but not least is an increased public awareness of the importance of life sciences and their potential to improve people's lives as well create economic benefits.

Nophakhun Limsamarnphun

 nop1122@yahoo.com